Ross Resident Given 3 Weeks to Remove Lawn Debris, Offensive Signs

At the end of a court hearing on May 8, Squirrel Hill magistrate Hugh McGough told Robert Ansell he had three weeks to remove seasonal displays, all rubbish and garbage, including toys and furniture, and all signs from the yard of the home he owns at 109 Fairley Road in Ross Township.

"There is not an ordinance that says I can't have toys in my yard," Ansell told WPXI-TV. "There is not an ordinance on any time that I can't put them up before such and such a date and down by such a such date."

Ansell's brother, William, resides at the home, and has been involved in a long-simmering dispute with his neighbors.

If Ansell does not comply by the next scheduled hearing on May 29, the judge said he would be fined $3,000.

Disputes among neighbors on Fairley Road have existed since at least 2005, when William Ansell erected an elaborate Christmas light display in his yard. The display and what happened to it was the subject of this KDKA-TV report in 2010. 

Randi Grubb, who lives across the street from Ansell's home, told Ross Commissioners in January that she wants to sell her house and move but has been unable to find a buyer because of broken statues, blinking signs and blue tarps that cover portions of Ansell's property.

"I have potential homebuyers from other states, other townships, other areas, and the question my real estate agent continues to get is, 'What the hell is going on over there?'" 

Since that meeting, Ross Code Enforcement officer Robert Muchenski has cited Ansell for several violations of township ordinances related to property maintenance and signage.

"The signs are a violation mostly because of their content, under the graffiti ordinance," said Muchenski. "The lawn ornaments violate the code regarding accumulation of rubbish or garbage, and are also considered a fire hazard."

Joanne Hebda, another neighbor who lives across the street from Ansell's home, said she is most disturbed by the signs. One of those signs includes profanity and comments pertaining to another neighbor who died in October 2011. Patch has not posted a photograph of this sign due to its content.

"The sign hangs facing the home of our deceased neighbor," Hebda said. "The township ordinance states, 'No signage shall contain lewd messages or messages intended to incite riots,' and believe me the day we saw that we all wanted to riot." 

Robert Ansell points to the constitution when it comes to the signs.

“They all speak truth in that when you steal somebody’s mailbox, I mean, you know, put a sign up calling them a thief,” Ansell told KDKA TV. “I’m just exercising my First Amendment right.”

Neighbors say Ansell also points bright floodlights in the general direction of their homes and leaves the lights on all night, however, Muchenski says the lights, at their current candle-power and location, do not violate township ordinances.

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